YOUR CHALLENGE:

What if your schoolyard could become a research site for real conservation science? It starts with what’s growing right outside your classroom door.  South Florida is one of the most biodiverse places in the US, which means a lot of unique plant and animal species are found right here in our neighborhoods. This year Fairchild has launched a new county-wide effort called the Million Butterfly Project that works to boost pollinator biodiversity by planting native pollinator gardens in cities throughout South Florida. To understand how the addition of native plants affects urban butterfly populations, we need to document as many butterfly sightings and interactions with these plants as possible. This is where you get to step into the shoes of a conservationist, leveling up your identification skills using the free application iNaturalist and recording pollinators in your schoolyard.

Plant a native pollinator garden in your schoolyard using mulch and eight native butterfly nectar and host plants provided by Fairchild. Once your garden is planted, once a month from October to February, record at least two iNaturalist observations* of plants and pollinators in your garden within the Fairchild Challenge’s Million Butterfly Project on iNaturalist. Ideal interactions to observe include instances where butterflies or bees are flying around or landing on the pollinator plants, caterpillars crawling on or eating the pollinator plants, and any places where leaves have been eaten by insects. This documentation is crucial for Fairchild plant and butterfly biologists to understand the role of urban butterfly gardens in improving butterfly populations. Then, in Spring 2027, Fairchild staff will visit your school to tour your gardens. During the tour, explain the relationship between wildlife and native plants, summarize what butterfly interactions and observations you recorded in iNaturalist, how you cared for your garden throughout the year, and how you might expand it going forward.

*50 BONUS points to the middle school that makes the most iNaturalist observations overall (observations must be unique and not repetitive, meaning 50 observations of the same butterfly will only count as 1 observation).

Download information as one page with lesson plan – Coming Soon!

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:

• How to Use iNaturalist for this Challenge Guide
• iNaturalist FAQ
• iNaturalist How-To Videos
• Bring on the Butterflies!
• Florida Wildflowers and Butterflies